His kiss was gentle, carrying a tender affection that left Noelle bewildered. She gazed at him through half-closed eyes, her hands cradling his cheeks while her fingers combed through his hair. She began to kiss him back. He took the lead, guiding her deeper into the embrace and drawing her further into the moment.They kissed passionately, losing track of time until Charles finally pulled away. Noelle exhaled slowly, trying to catch her breath. Charles lifted her gently and held her close, his forehead resting against hers. "Does it still hurt?" he asked softly.Noelle was taken aback, and it took her a moment to respond. She then shook her head shyly. "No, it doesn't hurt anymore."He was very gentle last night. She recalled Rowena telling her that a woman's first time could be very painful, but for her, the pain had only been brief. Very soon, she was lost in the sensations he brought her.Just thinking about it now made Noelle blush. She tugged at his shirt. "Why did you even
This feeling was strange. Noelle even felt a tremor in her heart. Even though she wanted to push Charles away, when she looked into his deep, dark eyes, it was as if she was drawn into them. She was gently carried along by the waves of passion.Her hands clung to his shoulders as she bit down on her lip, her fingers digging into Charles' arms. It was only after a long while that she felt it come to an end.Noelle was breathing heavily, completely exhausted. She lay atop Charles, her eyes half-lidded as she glared at him. However, in Charles' eyes, she looked more enchanting than intimidating, rekindling the desire he had just sated.Noelle looked at him in fear. "No more!" she pleaded.Charles narrowed his eyes, then pulled Noelle into his embrace. Stroking her hair, he said, "Alright." Though he still had energy, he had to consider her feelings.She had only just experienced intimacy for the first time, and he did not want to frighten her. They had plenty of time ahead of them, s
Noelle shifted closer to him. Her smooth, slender arm brushed against his. Charles then turned his head, his deep eyes falling on her face.Noelle froze for a moment. She stared back at him before leaning her head on his shoulder, clutching his arm with both hands.Charles kissed her forehead and said, "Go to sleep."Noelle closed her eyes. She was still holding onto him, and soon, her steady breathing signaled she was asleep. Charles opened his eyes and looked at her peaceful face. There was a smile playing on his lips.Under the soft light of the bedside lamp, his handsome smile became visible.Noelle woke in the middle of the night and noticed the emptiness beside her. She immediately opened her eyes and fumbled to turn on the lamp, only to find Charles was not there.Feeling a wave of disappointment, she touched the spot where he had been. It was no longer warm. Biting her lip, she clutched the blanket tightly.After a while, Noelle made up her mind. She got out of bed and w
Winter's agent called the producer of the film, which was invested by Royal Star Entertainment, and arranged the audition time. The agent then took Winter to the headquarters of Royal Star Entertainment.This was Winter's first time entering the building. Although she had been quite successful in the entertainment industry, she had never managed to tap into Royal Star Entertainment's resources before.Her agency was decent but still fell short compared to Royal Star Entertainment. When she was shunned by the media recently, the agency was planning to drop her. However, upon hearing she might land a role in a Royal Star Entertainment film, they started considering bringing her back.Winter was displeased with this, thinking the agency was being too opportunistic.When she arrived at Royal Star Entertainment, she could not help but marvel at Charles' influence. It was said this company was not even directly managed by Charles but by one of his mere assistants. Recalling her newfoun
The afternoon bidding was scheduled to take place soon. Previously, Frotconn had been severely weakened due to Collosus' sudden reduction in orders. If the bidding did not go well this time, Frotconn would be in serious trouble.Joseph urgently called a meeting, and Noelle became the target of everyone's criticism. She had just come out of the meeting and was feeling quite down. She had not recovered her mood yet when Charles' call came in.Her lips twitched helplessly. "What do you need?"For Charles to call at this hour, it was presumably because of something important. Nonetheless, Charles could tell something was off in Noelle's voice. "What happened?"Noelle explained the situation briefly. Charles scoffed, his long fingers tapping on the steering wheel. "If you're not happy there, why stay?"Noelle was taken aback, not expecting Charles to say that. She gave a wry smile. "I've been thinking about this for a while. If this hadn't happened, I probably would've already started
Noelle hesitated for a moment. When she glanced at Ronald, she noticed that he seemed to be startled as well. Unable to hold back her laughter, she smiled and nodded seriously. "Yes, you're very handsome!"Charles felt a warmth in his heart seeing Noelle's reaction. He took her hand and placed it on his knee. He then began to gently play with her fingers. "I'm taking you to Royal Star Entertainment for a visit."Noelle was surprised. "Why are we going to Royal Star Entertainment?" she asked. Then, she realized something. "Is Winter going to audition today?"Charles nodded. "Since you have nothing else to do, I thought you could come and see for yourself. Let's see how good your sister's acting really is."Noelle knew Charles' words were not meant as a compliment. She smiled slightly. "Well, I have nothing better to do."Although Noelle knew Winter was an actress, she rarely watched the shows Winter acted in. The only time she had seen Winter's acting was when she brought drama i
Charles raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "Is my wife trying to avoid suspicion?"Noelle rolled her eyes at him, feeling that his words carried a hint of mockery.Chuckling, Charles squeezed Noelle's hand. He sighed softly. "No one knows about our relationship."Noelle turned her head to meet his resigned gaze. It was as if he was complaining. She bit her lip and thought for a moment.Indeed, it was her decision not to disclose their relationship. However, he had agreed to the arrangement back then. She did not force him. She glanced at Ronald and then back at Charles, clearly indicating that some people did know about their relationship.Charles narrowed his eyes and cast a warning look at Ronald.Ronald straightened his back even more, feeling a bit aggrieved. It seemed he was frequently caught in the crossfire. He feigned a cough to boost his courage before saying, "Actually, you can pretend I don't exist, Madam. In most situations, I'm very discreet—almost invisible!"
"Enough. Do you think I wanted this? This is the higher-ups' decision. But as for how you treat her, that's up to you. Just make sure she gets the role," Ronald said nonchalantly."Alright!" Hearing that it was an order from above and gauging Ronald's attitude, Ruby understood. "I'll bring her over now. Mr. Wells, are you going to watch the show personally?"Watch the show?Ronald smiled, thinking about Charles and Noelle in the CEO's office. "Yes, we're about to watch a good show."Winter had been there for over an hour. Initially full of excitement, she was now on the brink of losing her temper. If not for her agent holding her back, she would have already thrown a fit.She felt that the people at Royal Star Entertainment were too lax. After all, she was someone introduced by Charles. Charles had already promised her the role, and today was just a formality. She thought she was doing Charles a favor by showing up, but it was clear that Charles' people did not take her seriousl
Grant noticed Kelly's reluctance to look at the documents and frowned slightly before speaking in an indifferent tone. "You don't have to look at it if you don't want to. After all, it's your decision whether to accept it or not."He placed the file on the table, his tone calm and detached, as though this matter had nothing to do with him.However, Kelly was far from calm. She glared at him, her voice trembling with suppressed anger. "If that's the case, why did you bring it here? Why did you agree? Why…"Her voice grew louder as she yelled at Grant, her emotions spiraling out of control. The noise startled Seth, who was sleeping in the other room.Hearing Seth's cries, Kelly immediately pushed past Grant and rushed into the room to scoop him into her arms. "Seth, don't cry. Mommy's here!""Mommy!" Seth clung tightly to her, his little hands grasping at her clothes."Yes, Mommy's here," Kelly murmured, cradling him as she gently patted his back. She hummed a soothing tune into hi
Kelly's feelings toward Grant were complicated. Growing up, her impression of him was not strong, and they certainly could not be described as having a close sibling bond.Later, Grant left the Andersons, disappearing to places unknown. When he finally returned, Kelly did not stay in Capiton for long before coming to Brookville.After that came the incident that changed everything, ultimately sending her abroad."Aren't you going to invite me in?" Grant glanced inside.Kelly frowned slightly. Although she seemed reluctant, she did not refuse and stepped aside to make way. "Come in. But I don't have much here, so I'm afraid I might not be the best host.""No problem."Grant noticed how much colder Kelly's demeanor had become. As he stepped into the modest apartment, he casually observed its simple layout.It was hard to reconcile this Kelly, living in such a sparse place, with the pampered young woman who once never lifted a finger.Feeling somewhat uneasy, Kelly closed the door
Kelly had been spending the past few days with Seth, whose health had improved significantly. After the recent incident, Kelly stayed in Brookville for a while, using the time to reflect deeply. One of the reasons she had not left Brookville was because of Seth's biological father.It had been almost four years. Not too long, yet not short either.Kelly thought she had let it go, but the DNA report comparing Seth with Maxwell made her hesitate once again.She always knew Seth was not Charles' child. She was fully aware of who the father was, yet his true identity remained a mystery.During those months four years ago, that man had stayed by her side, sharing a deeply unforgettable time with her. It was so unforgettable that she had pushed aside questions about his identity or purpose, choosing instead to immerse herself in the moment with him.Yet she was nothing more than a pawn for him to use against the Hoffmans in the end.Strangely, Charles had been absent from Brookville du
Grant's expression turned ice-cold in an instant. "What are you planning to do?""Kelly is Noelle's biological sister. Sean said only enzymes extracted from close relatives' blood might save Noelle. Whether it works or not, I have to try," Charles replied. His gaze was intense in a way Grant had never seen before.Grant had not expected to ever witness such an expression on Charles' face. He frowned deeply but eventually nodded. "I'll try, but she still doesn't know she's part of the Smith family.""You didn't tell her?" Charles was visibly surprised. He had assumed Grant would have already told Kelly the truth.Now, hearing that Kelly had no idea about her connection to Noelle or the Smith family, Charles was taken aback."I'll bring her over as soon as I can. Give me some time.""Fine, but don't take too long. Nelly can't wait," Charles said firmly. He understood that revealing the truth to Kelly and convincing her to help Noelle would not be easy. However, since Grant had ag
Sean emerged with a somber expression. "Margaret has confirmed that there's a fresh needle mark on Noelle's arm. That shadow from earlier must have injected something into her, which likely triggered her immediate symptoms."Charles clenched his fists, the sound of his knuckles cracking filling the tense air. "What's the plan?""Before the virus spreads too deeply, we could try using blood from Noelle's close relatives to extract certain components that might counteract it," Sean explained.Charles narrowed his eyes. "Be clearer. What are you suggesting?""This idea isn't fully tested. I only came across it in medical literature, and there's no guarantee it will work. If the virus hasn't invaded her bone marrow, we might still have a chance."Charles' expression eased slightly, but a hint of apprehension lingered. He glanced at Sean, who hesitated before continuing. "We need to call in Uncle Harrison and Shirley. Ideally, we should also bring Kelly here.""Fine!"Harrison arrive
"Make sure to cooperate well with Dr. Ellison, alright?"Charles leaned down, planting a soft kiss on Noelle's forehead before stepping out with Sean. "What's going on?"Outside, Peter, Tania, and Brandon were waiting. Brandon kept peeking into the room, and his curious eyes were wide with concern. "Uncle Charles, what's wrong with Aunt Noelle?"Charles' expression softened immediately. He reached out to tousle Brandon's hair gently. "Aunt Noelle is fine. She's just feeling a little sick.""Oh, then Bran will give Aunt Noelle some candy. If Auntie eats candy, she won't hurt anymore," Brandon said with childlike earnestness, pulling a few candies from his small bag and handing them to Charles."Uncle Charles, give these to Aunt Noelle!""Alright."Charles accepted the candies, his gaze drifting back to the room. He watched through the window as Noelle cooperated with Margaret's examination. His chest felt unbearably tight with worry."Have you figured out what to do yet?""Wh
"Mm, you didn't cry," Noelle said with a faint smile.Her face was still pale, but it was clear she had passed the peak of her pain.She placed her hands gently on Charles' face, slowly pulling herself up. After finding a comfortable position, she leaned into him, her head nuzzling against his chest like a mother soothing her child.Her delicate fingers traced the contours of his face. "You didn't cry."Charles could not help but tremble slightly. Lowering his gaze, he found Noelle looking up at him. She cupped his face with both hands, her body leaning closer, and her forehead was lightly pressing against his.She rubbed against him gently. "You were just worried about me," she said softly. Then, she placed a gentle kiss at the corner of his mouth."Our Charlie is the best, the strongest. How could he cry? Crying is my job."Noelle's smile was so tender and warm that it seemed to melt the storm brewing in Charles' heart.He carefully wrapped her in his arms, brushing his face
"She has the virus too?" Tania gasped sharply. She had never experienced an outbreak herself, so she did not realize how excruciating it could be. Seeing Noelle in such pain now, Tania froze. "Then, we...""Peter, take Tania and Bran outside!" Charles shot Peter a look. Peter nodded and led Tania out of the room.Charles took a deep breath, then grabbed Sean forcefully by the collar. "What do we do now?""Charles, calm down. Just calm down. I don't know the right treatment yet. I can only...""What did you just say? You don't know how to treat her?" Charles' voice was a growl, his eyes blazing with fury."Do you realize how much pain Nelly is in right now? You're a doctor, and you're telling me you don't know how to help her?"He lifted Sean off the ground by his collar, his entire body trembling with rage. "Look carefully! The person lying there is Nelly. She's your cousin. And you're telling me there's nothing you can do?"Charles' bloodshot eyes reflected his desperation as
"Yes, and coincidentally, the registered name is Yves Hoffman!"Charles' expression instantly darkened. "What did you just say?""The hospital keeps these records confidential, but I managed to pull some strings. Yves is someone from the Hoffman family!"Charles' gaze turned cold and sharp, locking onto the name. His tone was steely. "There's no one by that name in the Hoffmans."If such a capable person existed within the family, he would have known by now.Although the Hoffmans were a vast family, Charles was familiar with anyone who had notable skills or influence.The existence of this Yves puzzled him. If someone like this was truly from the Hoffmans, there was no way he would not have known.Peter's face grew serious. "If Kelly was indeed abducted and later gave birth to Seth, then this man could very well be Seth's biological father."If he's connected to the Hoffmans, it explains why Seth's DNA matches someone from your family."Charles nodded. "That was my theory as w